In business offices and commercial premises, there is often a need to provide a large number of power sockets at many locations along the base or skirting boards of the walls of a room or office. Many power sockets are needed to run the large number of electrical apparatus used in a typical office, such as computers, facsimile machines, photocopiers, lighting etc.
Moreover, with the ubiquity of networked computers in offices, there is also a need to provide a large number of data connection points. These data connection points allow individual computers or terminals to be connected to a network of computers.
The arrangement of office layouts, and the positioning of desks, computers and other office equipment within the office often change from time to time. Such change can require the number and location of the large number of power sockets and/or data connection points to be shifted to more convenient locations according to the new office layout.
To cater for this need to shift the position of power sockets and/or data connection points, there is a known system 10 of providing such a large number of variably-locatable electrical power sockets, and also with or without data connection points, which is shown schematically in FIG. 1. In the known system 10, a large number of power sockets 40 and data connection points 41 are located at the base of the walls 101 of rooms in such a manner that the location of these can be changed from time to time.
The known system makes use of metal compartments 20 which are positioned along the length of the base of each wall at the level of the skirting board.
At generally any location along these compartments 20, it is possible to selectively attach one or more power sockets 40 and/or data connection points 41, as shown in FIG. 1.
In this known system, such a large number of power sockets alone, or with data connection points, requires a correspondingly large number of wires and cables. These wire and cables are concealed within the elongate compartments 20 which are referred to as cable ducts 20. The prior art cable ducts 20 act as enclosures for concealing the cables or wires associated with the power sockets or data connection points.
The large quantity of cables need to be concealed in the ducts 20 because it is often unfeasible to contain the cables inside the walls 101, particularly for solid walls such as brick walls. Also, in those instances where cables are installed inside hollow walls, the subsequent task of relocating the power sockets 40 and data points 41, from time to time, is even more difficult because of the need for cutting open and subsequent repair of the walls, including re-plastering and re-painting etc.
A problem with the known system of FIG. 1 arises from the complexity of the process of installation or alteration of the location of the ducts, power sockets alone, or with data points. This complexity can lead to higher costs.
Moreover, the long duration of the alteration work can often lead to disruption to the staff that usually work in those parts of an office where the alteration work is carried out on the system 10. This disruption has its associated effect on the costs or loss of productivity of those office workers affected by the disruption.
There is complexity in the process of initial installation of the known system 10. The complexity arises because these metal cable ducts 20 are manufactured and supplied in standard fixed lengths, and must therefore be cut to required size by the workman. For instance, in FIG. 1, if gaps between power sockets and/or data points (dimensions A or B) are not of the standard fixed length, then the workman has to cut the portion of the duct to required size. The cutting procedure tends to be time-consuming because the metal sheet material of the ducts 20 has to be cut to precise dimensions with little margin for error, for example, within an exacting margin of plus or minus half a millimeter. This is to avoid unsightly gaps at the butt joint of adjoining ducts.
Moreover, when changing the location of power sockets alone, or with data points, the existing ducts 20 have to be replaced with fresh ducts that may have to be cut to the new dimensions, thus involving the same complex and painstaking process of preparing ducts according to the new dimensions.
Another time-consuming aspect of the system can be the need to connect each metal duct 20 to an earth, and also to ensure an electrical connection between adjoining ducts 20 to facilitate the earthing of these adjoining ducts.
Moreover, when changing the location of power sockets or data points, the existing ducts 20 have to be removed. This causes the cables, that were concealed in the ducts, to suddenly be exposed. Since such ducts can sometimes contain a multitudinous amount of cables that are tightly crammed into the duct, the removal of the duct can result in these cables spilling out when re-exposed, which presents an inconvenient task to re-pack the cables tightly in the fresh duct that has the new dimensions. As an example, there can sometimes be, for example, fifty or eighty data cables crammed into the duct, plus power cables. This degree of compactness of power and data cables inside the duct can lead to difficulties when individual cables need to be altered or re-wired.
For example, in an office environment, there might be a need to provide ten power sockets, and also ten data connection points. The power sockets can be daisy-chained all from one power cable, however, each of the ten data connection points has to be supplied as an individual data cable. Hence, when power sockets and data points are provided together, the volume taken up by the numerous data cables can often present a problem. For instance, there could be four power cables used to daisy-chain eighty power sockets, with an accompanying eighty data cables needed to create the data connection points.
Another problem is that, when power sockets are being installed, the power for that part of the room has to be turned off. Thus, if the installation work is carried out during office hours, the temporary shutdown of power inconveniences those office workers would rely on electrical power for their office equipment.
Moreover, in the known system of FIG. 1, often during installation, the workman has to cut and splice power cables in those instances when the existing length of cable does not suit the updated configuration. Once again, this cutting and splicing of power cables adds to the time required for installation, and thus can inconvenience the people would normally use that area of the office. Thus, if that particular power socket has to be removed or shifted in location, it sometimes requires the workman to electrically re-wire the entire connection, which involves work on the wiring of the new power socket location, as well as re-wiring work at the former power socket location. Also, a detrimental side effect of this complex electrical wiring work is that the power supply to that area of the building needs to be turned off for the duration of the work. This disruption, once again, has an effect on costs or loss of productivity of those office workers who cannot use their computers or electrical equipment for that period of time.
An object of the present invention is to overcome or at least ameliorate one or more of the problems in the prior art, or to provide an improved alternative.